


Bonds Reawakened

by Zoete9



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-10
Updated: 2015-06-04
Packaged: 2018-01-18 20:02:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1441054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoete9/pseuds/Zoete9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things have changed; Naruto's changed, and he wants nothing more than to wither away quietly. No one cares anyway. But an unprovoked attack that leaves Naruto scarred and more broken than ever, sends the very person he wanted to fade from the mind of most running to his side. Though Naruto might just be too far gone to be saved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which the Villagers Are Bastards and Sasuke Plays Hero

Naruto was turning nineteen...

It was October tenth, his birthday, the day the demon fox was sealed away and the village was saved. By all accounts, it should be a happy occasion. So **why** did that make him feel so empty?

Naruto let his thoughts race until his head hurt, sitting on a stool at Ichiraku with a completely full bowl of ramen steadily losing its warmth in front of him. The boy wasn't even eating the food he normally would have inhaled, instead staring at the dead blue eyes reflected in the ramen broth, wondering how people didn't cringe when they saw his face. His birthday should be something to enjoy, but it never was.

_And it never will be, will it? I know better than that by now._

That was just the way things had panned out for him in the end, and it couldn't be changed. When he was born on **that** day, it was impossible to smile or laugh in that obnoxious way of his. He couldn't stand to be with friends today, they didn't even have a clue. They didn't know him well enough, or just didn't **care** enough, to decipher how he was really doing, how he was actually feeling: horrible about himself, allowing negative thoughts to cluster and grow inside him with every minute that passed.

His dad and mom were dead.

That ruled out the possibility of two of his most special people just **being there** with him during every year he decided to keep breathing. As if that wasn't bad enough, he knew that so many people wished this day had never even happened at all. Naruto knew everyone in this village still rejected his existence, wanted him dead for holding the 'terrible monster' that destroyed the village and turned people's lives upside down nineteen years ago.

_Almost two decades all alone..._

He had to admit, they had fooled him for a long while, hook line and sinker. They'd made him think they didn't hate him, that maybe he'd gained their respect and admiration after nearly dying several times for them. Hell, he might have succeeded at that in the past. So, no, they hadn't hated him back then, but now… now they detested him. It was like everything he'd done up until that point didn't matter in the slightest to them anymore.

While he'd had a certain naivety in his youth, he wasn't as dumb as people thought. Naruto knew many things about the people of Konoha. In all honesty, he found the fact that they attempted to hide the underlying fear that shook their voices when they spoke to him infuriating, and saddening, and a mix of so many other emotions that it was impossible to list them all.

Everyone had seen his full potential brought out in battle and put to the test with war, crushing the enemy that had seemed invincible with his strength. They witnessed firsthand how skilled the boy was, and he was capable of so much more power than they could have imagined. It terrified them. It wasn't even speculation, or opinion: it was fact. The knowledge of that potential, perhaps, was what drove them to revert back into their old ways of treating him like the dirt beneath their feet.

He'd clawed his way up from his dark prison of loneliness, saw the light and reached for it, only to harshly crash down and realize he'd never even left.

That was why, no matter how much they cheered when he saved Konoha, or how many times they attached the word 'hero' to his name, it became painfully obvious that that kind of behavior towards him was never going to last for longer than a few days at a time.

Finally deciding to move so he might not sink under the pressure so easily, Naruto muttered a quick thank you to the familiar old man behind the counter for the free ramen before exiting. Both Teuchi and his daughter Ayame watched Naruto's retreating back, left baffled at the hollowness of his parting words.

"Ayame... am I going senile, or did that boy not eat **any** ramen?"

The girl shook her head in response as she stared at the bowl of soup and vacant stool sadly, "I should've wished him a happy birthday. It's probably so rare for him to hear that…"

Oblivious to the conversation behind him, the blonde slipped his hands into his pockets and began going nowhere in particular with his feet on auto-pilot, hazy blue eyes fixed on the inky night sky dotted with constellations. He wished to be anywhere but Konoha today, maybe Suna. Maybe he would visit Gaara, he thought, who was like the brother he'd never had.

It was startling, and then purely torturous, when Naruto realized that the sky's color reminded him of a certain person's almond shaped, bottomless ebony eyes, the two black pools that he always found himself falling into. He could still picture, even without that someone in front of him now, how they were a stark contrast against soft ivory sk- no, Naruto wasn't going to think about that now if he could help it. He immediately willed that particular memory away. The blonde usually smiled upon it fondly, but this time shook his head aggressively to rid it from his busy mind. Though he knew those haunting thoughts would return, later, as swiftly as they'd just gone; as silently persistant in their endeavor as the raven they represented.

For the time being, Naruto contemplated anything, anything **else** , that he could possibly think of to get his mind off the self-forbidden subject. There were just so many things to choose from in his scattered brain. For instance, how nothing had changed in the way he was treated by everyone, even after so many years of his life wasted on the lost cause of gaining acceptance. Suddenly, but not quite shockingly, he realized that maybe it was **he** that had changed, and drastically at that.

Being so hated tended to take its toll on a person eventually.

Naruto wasn't as idiotic or carefree or lively as everyone still believed. It wasn't that he didn't want to be: he really wanted to be okay, content, happy, even; not depressed as he was now. It just felt like there was always something **wrong,** no matter the situation or how 'cheerful' he seemed about it. Naruto wondered if Gaara had ever felt like this at some point, before he'd met him. And he wondered how one could even begin to describe such a numbing sensation.

"It's almost like… trying to walk through the current of a neck-deep river backwards," Naruto mumbled aloud, continuing to think on it as he walked. In his mind, it was almost like he was lecturing that naïve, younger version of himself, warning him of the dangers and heartaches to come. It wouldn't work, though, his standing there alone made that abundantly clear.

_You keep getting pulled under the surface over and over again, sucking in mouthfuls of disgusting water each time you go back down. You feel so numbingly cold, but you just ignore that and keep going. Then comes the worst part, when you think you might have found a sturdy rock that you can rest on for a while, but it turns out to be an illusion, another slippery pebble that lets you sink because it grew tired of keeping you afloat. And you just keep repeating that cycle until, subsequently, you figure out they were all pebbles there to watch you drown the entire time, every last one of them._

_It makes you wonder what horrible deed you could have possibly done to deserve such abandonment, but deep inside knowing it was inevitable because you're, well,_ _**you** _ _. And nobody wants an imperfect, wounded thing like yourself. So, you give up. Your motivation crumbles to dust- it becomes so difficult to get back up again that you don't even bother to try. There's no denying that you're so hollow at that point that it wouldn't matter if you fought anymore, you'd get swept away and broken anyhow because you're too empty to go on without shattering against the slightest bump you hit. Just… finished._

It was the perfect, culminating description of what Naruto felt, and made it all the more obvious that he had most **definitely** changed. But how could he not have? By ignoring the villagers, he supposed, but that only made him feel like it was a hundred-to-one, him against the whole world. He'd be alone. Not that he wasn't now, he recalled glumly, but if it were possible to make him feel more alone and isolated, experience said Konoha was sure to figure out a way.

It was just so hard to block out all the cruel whispers, especially when it fractured his brilliant 'always happy' mask that he saved just for days like this. It wasn't like anyone ever saw through it, no one ever wanted to. Actually, Naruto had been putting up the façade a lot more lately. Even around his so-called friends, because he just couldn't bring himself to smile genuinely at people anymore.

Even when he did, it was completely plastic, forced and bitter. They didn't see the way Naruto was drowning in thoughts of self hatred. That he was building barriers of steel around his heart to isolate himself from the world, believing it would stop the chaos raging within his mind. Naruto knew it wasn't the right solution no matter how you looked at it. But what else could he do?

Well, he could always go out on missions. It was the one thing he came up with that didn't involve rash decisions, like him living out scenarios in his head that always resulted in him… to put it in less severe terms, disappearing. So, to avoid that (he wasn't giving the villagers that pleasure, rewarding them for their misdeeds against him), Naruto began distracting himself with different missions, taking the most lethal assignments he could possibly find from Tsunade, and acting out recklessly on every single one of them.

There was only a single individual that even knew he was taking such risks, Sakura, but that didn't make it right for him to make her witness him falling apart. Because all of this just about scared Sakura to death, he knew. She'd had to heal him and look at the terrifying wounds every time, praying he'd make it. It went far enough to make her cry on several occasions.

Sakura eventually gave up on Naruto when the chore of reviving him became too much- she was one of the few he hadn't expected to be a pebble. But not even she, a girl he considered his sister, could do it. Not when he kept coming into the hospital barely able to stand on his own without collapsing right there and then, battered and bloody with fatal injuries and lacerations that should have been impossible to recover from. When had anything ever really been impossible for that boy? That being said, Naruto did recover, albeit at an immensely slow rate.

But even so… this was putting it to the extreme. They were more like suicide missions than anything else, and he'd done enough to be considered half-dead already. He absently placed a hand against the throbbing spot on his stomach, his mind too far away to register the pain.

Naruto desperately needed someone to save him from himself. The only time he did smile as brightly as when he was twelve, or laugh like he truly meant it, was around Sasuke. That added what felt like the weight of the entire Fire Country onto his already heavy heart, because Sasuke was Naruto's everything, and that was so wrong. Well, to everyone else it would seem wrong, as well as contradictory. He didn't love Sasuke in the brotherly way he was supposed to.

No, he was **in love** with Sasuke.

It made him want to have a total meltdown, knowing that his love would forever be unrequited. Sasuke was straight as a senbon... Wasn't he? He wanted to revive his clan, and you obviously needed a girl for that. Regardless, the former avenger didn't play for both fields like Naruto himself, who didn't care where it came from because it was **love** and love wasn't supposed to **have** limits or boundries. Sasuke'd find the fact that his teammate loved him disgusting, look at Sakura, he'd already found the fact that a teammate had loved him disgusting, and **she'd** had the entire 'reviving the clan' thing advantage! No, Sasuke'd hate him. And Naruto couldn't bear to know the one and only person he actually wanted to risk letting into his heart loathed him.

So the blonde had been sure to never give even the slightest hint of his sexuality. Well, with the exception of when he was around Sai. That was complicated, in every sense of the word, as he constantly flustered Naruto with his vulgar comments. The biggest reason that it would never happen though, in Naruto's mind at least, was that he couldn't imagine Sasuke pining after someone as ugly and broken as himself. Scarred, abandoned, outcast, **monstrous**...

Who could love a monster, after all? He'd already gone through this very same thing with his other teammate, but Naruto's affection for Sakura was ancient history. He'd realized that he held a bottomless affection for Sasuke when he regained consciousness after their fight at the Valley of the End, and losing him was like being stabbed with a rusty kunai a million-and-two times. Naruto knew, just **knew,** if he confessed, he was doomed to rejection. That was the truth of it; a fact: Sasuke would never love him. The villagers cursed and abhorred him, and for once he knew that becoming Hokage wouldn't change things in the slightest. How could he ever have been so naïve as to think otherwise?

But even though to anyone else it would have seemed like all of this was the nine-tails' fault, that wasn't the case with Naruto. He'd never even think of blaming Kurama for the harsh treatment, even if the fox had destroyed the village of his own free will, which Naruto knew wasn't the case; it wasn't like the demon had chosen his vessel with the intent of ruining said Jinchuuriki's life. Every so often they overheard bits of not so pleasant conversations, rude whispers, and muffled yells as the silent duo continued aimlessly down the dirt road.

Oddly enough, the fox would actually **apologize** to him for it, but Naruto would brush it off and tell Kurama it wasn't his fault. After all, this was the most exciting part of his birthday, hands down. Unless, of course, the villagers decided to take action and hit him a few times rather than simply speak about it. It wasn't like it'd never happened before, quite the contrary actually. They normally pulled him aside every other year and proceeded to make him wish he'd never been born (not that **that** took much), and gave him such a makeover that he wouldn't come out of his house for days at a time. And if that didn't happen, as was common knowledge; rocks to the head were **always** a nice birthday present.

"That brat will kill us all one day, just you wait! My daughter is gone because of him!" an old man yelled hoarsely to his companion, failing to keep his voice down. And so it began.

Naruto couldn't help the mental sneer. _Yes, because_ _ **on the day I was born**_ _,_ _ **I**_ _went on a rampage through the village, killing dozens._

"Disgusting. Why is it still breathing?" was the next growl. Naruto just sighed and shook his head, disappointed that in all the years, they still hadn't come up with any new ways to insult him. It was growing dull, honestly.

"Look away dear, that **thing's** horrible face is too revolting to bear…" that one was nastier, but he'd heard it before, too. _Cheap shot lady, maybe next year._ Naruto thought and briefly glanced at her grimacing face as she clutched a young girl's hand.

"He'll never be Hokage. There's got to be a law against it," someone said behind him. Comments like that always amused him. Naruto knew his abilities already rivaled a Hokage's, maybe even exceeded.

"That's no hero. It's a monster in disguise." Remarkably, that one stung a little bit. It wasn't exactly new, but their tone was practically dripping with malice.

"Repulsive demon… I wish we could kill it ourselves. Maybe we can get away with beating a lesson into its thick head about the way to act around **humans**." Now **that** was an insult. Even better, it was a threat. _Thanks for the warning._ Naruto acknowledged in his mind, smiling bitterly. The thing was, he knew that if someone actually followed through and attacked him this year, he wouldn't struggle against them at all. After all, he **did** deserve it... Didn't he? Isn't **that** what everyone said: that he deserved whatever cruel things they did to him?

"Who could ever love **him**? The answer is so obvious… not a single person in the **world**!" This was accompanied by a chorus of laughter that boomed in his ears. Oh, it was a group of girls his age. _Nothing like teaching the next generation how to hate properly._

Naruto winced, hands balling tighter and tighter until nails broke the skin of his palm, but he didn't care. What they'd said… it instantly reminded him of Sasuke. They were right, if he was being totally honest with himself, there wasn't a **single** person who could love him. It suddenly became harder to breathe and Naruto rushed to the forest, craving solitude. He leaned against the sturdy trunk of a large tree and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the horrible laughter ringing in his ears and catch his breath at the same time.

"Look what we have here… a crying demon! It's pathetic," a gruff male voice made him practically jump out of his skin in fright, and only then did he even notice the tears that coursed down his cheeks. Naruto's eyes widened as he noticed that the two men were ninja, Jounin level. He was definitely strong enough to take them on, but he'd sworn he wouldn't hurt any of the residents in Konoha, no matter what the circumstances.

Besides, it was his own fault that he was just unlucky enough to be caught alone. Naruto had the feeling he was royally screwed this time, and he **knew it,** knocking his head softly against the tree and muttering curses under his breath. Looked like he was going home either drenched in red or beaten black and blue, possibly both. He just had to wonder, though, was this going to be an annual event? It had happened last year, too, so that was probable. Naruto wished someone would save him, but knew immediately that it was a wasted thought. They were shrouded in trees. Far enough away from the village that, more than likely, people wouldn't hear his screams, and no one was liable to come rescue him even if they did.

"Aren't you going to greet us? Or are you too inhuman to do even that?"

The boy merely snuck a glance at them and immediately hung his head after, still refusing to speak. But the Jounin wanted a reaction, and their patience was wearing thin. When more time passed without Naruto so much as looking up again, one of them snapped.

"You stupid brat!" the man bellowed, charging like an angry bull. Naruto looked up just as the attacker grabbed at his neck. He didn't miss. Naruto's back slammed into the tree's hard wood, a strangled gasping noise climbing its way out of his throat as the air from his lungs whooshed out. His back was sure to be tremendously bruised when he checked, if the throbbing there was anything to go by.

However, the abuse didn't stop there. They kept coming at him, laughing like a pair of overly excited hyenas when he gasped or cried out. Naruto kept as quiet as he possibly could, but still made no effort to stop them. And dammit, it hurt ten times worse than it should have since, of all things, he'd gone on an S-ranked mission yesterday and hadn't had any time to recover from the normal injuries, 'normal' which, in comparison to average shinobi like the ones tormenting him, were quite severe; that were hidden by his jumpsuit. For crying out loud, he'd been stabbed in the stomach, then carelessly patched it up himself to prevent a visit to the hospital, and these people wanted an encore of how much it'd hurt? Apparently so.

The next thing Naruto knew, he was on the ground, gloved fists and booted feet seemingly everywhere at once, making him see stars, possibly entire planets. Blows rained down anywhere they could possibly reach until every direction had been thoroughly covered. What was odd, though, was that they only hit his face once, and it wasn't delivered particularly hard compared to ones elsewhere. Perhaps they knew he wouldn't tell anyone that they beat him within an inch of his life, and it would be easier to hide the bruises if his face was left alone. Or maybe they wanted him to see just how much they enjoyed hurting him and would get to his face last, it was hard to tell.

Naruto felt himself growing numb all over, so dizzy he couldn't tell which way was up, down, left, or right. He could still hear their whispering occurring somewhere around him. He tensed up when a voice spat out, "Now then, I suppose we shouldn't let you forget what you are… that would be so cruel of us!" A weight settled on top of him, effectively preventing him from escaping whatever plan they'd formed. Then a sound rang out, one that Naruto and every other ninja was all too familiar with. A small _chink_ of metal. It was unmistakable... the drawing of a kunai.

Panic engulfed Naruto, his heart beginning to beat at an astonishing speed. _What are they going to do with that? Are they finally going to kill me?_ _And why do I even care if they do? It wouldn't matter..._ He was jerked out of his thoughts when he felt his right bicep enclosed in an iron grip, a hand coming up to roughly rip the sleeve of his jumpsuit off at his shoulder, then move to clutch his wrist and extend his arm to where it was straight and exposed.

"Don't you dare mess this up, demon-brat."

And then a searing pain was coursing through Naruto's veins, his shrieks of pain replacing the night's eerie silence. He just couldn't stop the awful noises he was making, the tears squeezing their way out of his eyes. They were **writing** on his arm, like it was a mere sheet of paper, starting at just below his shoulder and going all the way down until it reached his wrist. He didn't know what it said now, but he'd certainly find out later since -dammit!- they apparently weren't going to kill him after all. The knife was digging in so deeply that it would scar even with the nine-tails healing him, which didn't seem to be happening, for whatever reason. He made a mental note to ask the fox later.

Naruto was losing way too much blood, and Kurama whispered for Naruto to release him so they didn't die. He refused repeatedly as the animal continued, now yelling and actually pleading for him to stop his nonsense. If it went on for too much longer, he would inevitably pass out from the complete agony or lightheadedness (he was hoping for the latter, but was willing to take what he could get to escape the pain). Naruto eventually stopped screaming, breathing out in quick ragged pants instead as the kunai was removed from his newly marred skin.

"What the hell's up with all this screaming?" a smooth, deep voice alight with annoyance, and what might have been the slightest tinge of worry, spoke after an unknown amount of time passed. Naruto was surprised he even heard it over the buzzing in his head. How had he not passed out, again? So much for that plan, or had it been just a desperate, and very bad, idea? That voice sounded so familiar, too, but Naruto just couldn't tell who it was. He was fading in and out of consciousness, on the brink of what could be accurately described as death. Then the name slapped him in the face, hit him like a brick crashing through his window on Christmas morning. Naruto's throat was almost too raw with pain for him to speak from the previous screeching. His voice came out impossibly quiet, strained and hoarse.

"S…Sa-suke?" was all he got out before the ninja above him stopped and jostled his arm, making the blonde restrain a scream that was fighting to be released from its prison deep in his throat.

Sasuke was just plain confused, he knew them? He didn't really recognize the person by their voice, not when it was muffled, and terribly scratchy. Sasuke could see that they were being pinned, lying underneath one of the Jounin that seemed like they were about to piss themselves in utter terror. He watched as nervous eyes glanced quickly between the body beneath them and back to him. Sasuke still couldn't see. Their face was being blocked. Only a pair of legs peeked out, and they were covered in a dingy orange - wait, orange? There was only one person he knew that wore such an obnoxious color and wasn't a girl.

If he was right about what was going on here, there was a seriously high chance of someone dying tonight. In a matter of seconds, Sasuke was roughly tossing the man away from the injured person so he could identify them. The boy's heart sank, his face drained of color, skin feeling cold and clammy as his fears were proven right. Then he was falling to his knees beside his best friend, mind already going into a frenzy of panic and anxiety with frightening thoughts. _He's not going to die, right? No, he won't. He_ _ **can't**_ _. He can't just leave like this, not like this, it's impossible._

"N-naruto… " Sasuke's breath caught in his throat momentarily at the horrific sight of his half-dead teammate. Forgetting the other ninja for a moment, he pulled Naruto onto his lap with more caution than he'd ever used around the boy, unconsciously intertwining their hands. That made Naruto smile a little bit, despite it all. " **What** is going on here?"

"My… birthday party," Naruto elaborated, almost jokingly. Sasuke had to lean in to hear him speak; and it was still just barely audible. The quietness in itself was enough to make his heart jump in concern. The blonde then lifted up his arm that was still oozing blood. Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw how deep the wounds were and what was spelled out, carved permanently into the blonde's flesh. "See, Sasuke… e-even got a gift from the villagers this year. Hmm, I'm tired 'suke… I'll tell you… 'bout it later…"

"Hey- no, don't fall asleep on me, you i-idiot!" Sasuke tried, feeling powerless and scared as his friend's eyes fluttered closed.

And just like that, Sasuke felt Naruto's whole body fall limp and he was out cold. Sasuke frantically checked for a pulse, sighing in relief when he found that tiny, slow heartbeat. He didn't know how much longer Naruto could hold on. Why wasn't that damn fox healing him? Gazing at Naruto's unusually serene and pale face, something inside him snapped. Sasuke was absolutely livid, sharingan coming alive and spinning dangerously. He scowled menacingly at the men watching the scene unfold, gingerly putting Naruto on the ground before he shot to his feet. The ninja jumped and recoiled. It was truly a mystery: why they hadn't run away when they had the chance.

"I'm going to make your lives hell for doing this to him… you're the demons, not Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, his normally passive face contorting with rage and fury. Sasuke took a step towards the petrified Jounin who had gone ghostly white. One started to talk a mile a minute, desperate to get out of this situation, but everything that was spilling out of his mouth was more berating jabs at the unconscious boy. It was a very stupid decision, really. Did he **want** to die?

"Hey, look, it's not like the brat didn't deserve it. He struts around the village like he's the damn Hokage when he's **nothing** but a waste of space. A total loser! Nobody would even care if that thing went and di-"

"Shut the hell up, that's complete bull! And the only person that can call Naruto a loser is **me**!" Sasuke growled, burying a powerful fist into the man's stomach. He'd heard enough.

Sasuke hadn't even known the villagers thought so horribly of Naruto. A tremendous amount of unexpected guilt washed over him, emotions hitting him with the force of a Chidori to the chest ( _Is this how Naruto felt all those years ago?)_ , and he didn't fight to evade it. He felt like he deserved it. Just how long was this going on without Naruto telling anyone? Contrary to what Naruto believed, Sasuke did notice how depressed he was acting lately. He just didn't know how to go about asking what was wrong.

Really, how would one confront someone about something as serious as that? He couldn't exactly just walk up and go, " _You seem depressed man, the hell's wrong with you?"_ No, a person just didn't do that, and especially not with the person you lo- your best friend! Yes, best friend. That's what Sasuke was thinking.

Sasuke took his confusion ( _self-denial_ a dark part of his brain taunted) out on pummeling the offending pair of ninja with combos of punches and kicks, practically overflowing with murderous intent, but showing a profound amount of self control for not using any jutsu on those who dared to lay a harmful **finger** on his blonde, let alone a **knife**.

He couldn't afford too much time in disposing of these pieces of trash, not when Naruto was still bleeding-out behind him. After all, Tsunade would kill them herself when she found out about this and everything would be right in the world. The poor forest looked like the scene of a massacre, both Jounin lying incredibly still on the red-stained grass. Nope, as expected, he didn't feel bad about their inevitable deaths in the slightest.

Moving on from that rather unsettling moment, Sasuke contemplated whether or not it was safe to pick Naruto up, to carry him in his arms like he would a child. It wasn't like he'd ever actually desired to hold him like that… Sasuke was only fearful of hurting the boy further by merely slinging him over his back on the way to Sakura's house for obviously necessary medical treatment. Sasuke wasn't sure if he should go to the hospital, they might not help Naruto if all the villagers really hated him that much.

So he swallowed his pride, for Naruto's sake, and picked him in his arms ever-so-carefully, as though he were handling a glass doll. Thankfully, Sakura's house wasn't that far away from where they were so they arrived in a few minutes. Sasuke knocked on the wood rapidly, for once anxious to see the girl who always pestered him. Naruto needed her help. The raven haired boy continued to stare at Naruto until the light from inside flooded out of the house onto the door-step, illuminating the bloody duo.

"Sasuke-kun? What're you doing here this la- oh my god! Is that Naruto?" Sakura gasped as she took in the sight, hands flying up to cover her gaping mouth as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Sasuke just sighed and nodded, hoping that she could compose herself so she didn't start bawling like she would have several years ago. He began avoiding Sakura's emerald gaze, somewhat blushing, as a knowing smile suddenly split across her face after noticing the apprehensiveness that took over Sasuke's expression when he repeatedly peered down at the blonde resting in his arms. The small smile magnified when she saw Sasuke's suspiciously bruised knuckles and how close he held their teammate.

His intense eyes were trained on her face now, and Sakura realized that she hadn't invited him in yet and Naruto was probably dying right on her doorstep. She stumbled back into the house, spluttering and gesturing wildly. Sasuke did an awkward side-step through the door, clutching Naruto's body closer to avoid ramming the boy's head on the doorframe. The last thing he needed to be was careless with how unnervingly fragile the blonde seemed tucked in his arms like this.

"Put Naruto on the couch, Sasuke-kun. You should go take a shower while I heal him, you're covered in blood," Sakura commanded, voice ringing through the house as she rummaged through drawers and cabinets, seeking out the right medical equipment. Oddly enough, Sasuke did as he was told and disappeared in the bathroom down the hallway. The screech of the shower's knobs turning was heard in the background as Sakura made her way over to the unconscious Naruto.

The girl began zipping down his jumper, stopping to pull off messily wrapped bandages soaked scarlet as she went, to reveal skin painted in ugly, dark bruises of all different sizes. In addition to those, there was a long gash that began at the middle of Naruto's back and stopped just as it reached his ribs, which brought her attention to a shockingly deep puncture wound located in the center of his stomach. Both injuries were leaking red in generous amounts, to the point where it was more than a little frightening, as it made the threat of this boy actually dying right now much more imminent.

She shook her head and sucked in a shaky breath, closing her eyes momentarily. Sakura made quick work of wiping Naruto's messy body until it was, at the very least, decent, and then placed her glowing hands over the boy's torso. The marks slowly vanished, and she moved onto Naruto's arm that was completely caked in blood. Sakura scrunched her face up in confusion, wondering what caused so much bleeding (how was he not dead yet with so much blood loss?), and began to clean the area with some wet rags gently.

"What is this?" she whispered, once the markings were visible. Shakily reaching out and taking the limp arm in her capable hands, she gaped at the single word carved there. Another onslaught of tears rushed down her face, that horrible mark would no doubt be scarred on Naruto's skin forever. Sasuke chose that moment to step into the room and Sakura's pained expression told him she'd seen it, the thing that made even him cringe.

"S-sasuke-kun… he didn't- Naruto didn't do this to himself, right?"

"No, even he's not that stupid."

Sakura sighed in relief, "Good."

"The… a few villagers did, and I beat the crap out of them," Sasuke answered further, moving closer to his comrades and taking a seat on the floor beside Naruto's head, resisting the urge to touch him all the while. He turned his head towards his best friend. "So… is the dobe going to be okay?"

Sakura let out an exasperated puff of air and began to explain. "Well, he's got a few broken ribs and his stomach is still a bit bruised, and those large gashes around his stomach aren't fully healed yet, either, but they all will be eventually. That one cut on his arm should be fine as well, but it will heal slowly and form a nasty scar because the nine-tails isn't helping him… which is strange, to say the least. I haven't gotten to examine his legs or back yet, and who knows how bad the damage there is."

With that, silence resumed and Sakura tugged Naruto's pants off, revealing more bruised flesh. Only this time, a certain Uchiha was there to see it. Sasuke nearly punched a hole through Sakura's floor when he pounded his fist onto the hard wood, angry again. The girl could only listen sadly, still healing Naruto as he began to shout and curse, obviously blaming himself for their friend being hurt so badly.

"Dammit! Why couldn't I have forced him to spend the day with me or something? I-I'm… we're his friends! We're supposed to do shit like that… aren't we? He could have said something about the villagers treating him like this..."


	2. In Which Kiba and Ino Become Involved

_Recap:_

_"Dammit! Why couldn't I have forced him to spend the day with me or something? I-I'm… we're his friends! We're supposed to do shit like that… aren't we? He could have said something about the villagers treating him like this..."_

* * *

"Oh please! You know Naruto would have pushed you away, faked that stupid grin while he told you he was fine, Sasuke-kun. This idiot is too selfless for his own good. He doesn't want to burden the people he loves, you especially, with his problems."

Sasuke sat there for the longest time in silence with his gaze fixed on Naruto, letting Sakura's words sink in until he finally understood. She was undeniably right about the whole situation- with the exception of him being **that** important to Naruto, of course- but he asked one more question anyways.

"And the reason he didn't want anyone to, at the very least, find out about the villagers?"

Sakura scoffed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "They would be punished, it would be his fault, and Naruto can't deal with that. It's just who he is, y'know? Always playing the hero..."

"The loser needs to stop trying to take everything on by himself. More than anything, I just wish he'd quit bottling up all that misery, pretending he's okay. I swear, it's going to be the death of him." Sasuke mimicked Sakura's scoff before he continued. "Hell, we both know that if it was any other type of feeling he'd unleash it on the whole world, whether they wanted to hear it or not..." The raven haired boy chuckled the slightest bit, smirking, beaming affectionately and not so discretely toward the subject of their conversation.

Sakura smiled and laughed softly as well, wondering just how long this small moment of relaxation and contentment would last. She soon got her answer as Naruto groaned and shifted about on the couch. Sasuke was on his feet immediately, hovering near his friend with concern etched into his features.

A pair of blue orbs blinked slowly at the ceiling, widening in a comical manner as they noticed the unfamiliar surroundings. Memories of what had happened to him just before losing conscious were recalled abruptly. The boy gasped and instantly sat up, felt pain shoot through his system from the injuries remaining, his chest heaving up and down erratically. Naruto recoiled from the hands still healing him like they were a poisonous snake before curling in on himself. Sasuke froze, too shaken up by Naruto's behavior to say or do anything right away, while Sakura tried in vain to get through to their teammate.

"Naruto, calm down, please! It's alright, you're safe here."

The blonde didn't listen, shaking his head frantically as he made himself as small as possible and screwed his blue eyes shut instinctively. An aggravated sigh and footsteps sounded. It was so near to Naruto that he flinched slightly, and nearly shrieked when his arm was taken. No matter how gentle the action was, it still made his heart clench in fear. After all, the grabbing always came first.

"Oi, loser... it's just us," a very familiar voice drawled lazily.

Naruto hesitantly lifted his head out from between his knees and opened an eye. He promptly let out a ragged breath and relaxed, arms dropping from their protective position to his sides, only to have one come and sweep through his blonde hair shakily. The barrier consisting of his legs flattened and Naruto closed his eyes once more before they blinked open again.

"You just about gave me a heart-attack," the boy said tiredly, voice slightly hoarse.

"Yeah? Well, we could say the same to you, idiot." Sasuke scowled and bopped him on the head lightly, making Naruto wince and grumble.

"Sakura-chan, tell Sasuke to stop being mean to me!" he whined, bottom lip jutting out childishly.

"Don't look at me, Naruto! You brought this on yourself for making me and Sasuke-kun worry," the girl reprimanded.

In spite of being serious about them worrying, Sakura couldn't help herself. A loud laugh bubbled up and out of her mouth as the pair of best friends continued their banter. Everything almost seemed normal at that moment.

"Don't lie to make him feel better, I was **not** worried about him!" Sasuke denied persistently.

"I'm sorry, who's lying now? Whatever~, even if you weren't concerned, Sasuke-kun, I was," Sakura said, rolling her jade eyes. She then turned to Naruto and pointed an accusing finger, "And you, Naruto! You better hope I don't have even a single grey hair due to you by the time I'm thirty, especially if you're going to make a habit of us meeting under these circumstances!"

The blonde merely snickered, grinning, "Stop being so pessimistic, Sakura-chan. Either way, I'll probably be six-feet under long before either of you turn thirty!"

And just like that, all of the joking stopped. Sasuke's obsidian eyes, that had formerly held a rare type of softness, hardened immediately, disappearing behind his bangs. Jaw clenching noticeably, he took only a few more steps before reaching Naruto's side and raising a hand. It happened so fast that the boy on the couch couldn't have dodged if he tried. A deafening slap echoed in the room as everything seemed to freeze. Blonde hair blocked blue eyes from view as alarm and fear swirled in them. Naruto's head remained lolled to the side even as his companion's hand fell back to his side balled in a fist.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped.

"Sakura, don't. You know as well as I do he deserves it for saying dumb shit like that." Sasuke snapped. He turned away, refusing to look into Naruto's hurt eyes, and crossed his arms defiantly.

"I'm sorry," a breathy whisper came from behind.

"For what?" Sasuke countered and stared curiously from the corner of his onyx eyes, still not willing to turn around.

"I'm sorry... for..." Naruto fisted the fabric of his pants, frustrated. He didn't want them to find out just how twisted- dark, his thoughts were.

"Naruto," Sakura started but the boy shook his head. It was unavoidable, he had to do this at some point. And the sooner they knew, the better off he'd be, right? Or... would they leave him once they realized how hopeless it was to try to help him?

"I... I-I'm sorry for making you worry, which you really shouldn't... I'm not worth the time or effort," he began despite his worries, never looking up from his lap or allowing his comrades to see his face. "I'm sorry that all those around me have to pay for my screw ups, but it seems I can't help being a failure at everything. I'm sorry that I'm such an idiotic loser, dead-weight, a disgusting demon that you and everyone else is forced to associate themselves with. I'm sorry that I'm an embarrassment to be seen with and so happy-go-lucky all the time. Nobody should know what I actually feel though, or I'll have to apologize for becoming an annoyance and burden, too. Even if I already am. So, sorry for that now, too, I guess. And I- fuck, I'm just so damn sorry that I was even **born** , 'cause you've both gone and wasted a part of your lives you'll never get back on someone who just... doesn't deserve it."

The air was tense and quiet, the words dropping like stones in the silence that engulfed the house. (A memory sparked: Kiba coming in on a bar scene with a not-dissimilar tension between everyone, glancing around, and chiming in jokingly with "Man, who killed the atmosphere in here?") Naruto wished the tattooed ninja was here to break the tension now, because the seething quiet was downright **frosted** as his words sat there, unaddressed, unacknowledged; like they weren't even worthy of being noticed.

_What was I expecting?_

* * *

"Absolutely not!" Tsume Inuzuka growled at her youngest, looking ready to tackle him to the ground if he so much as took another step.

She was surprised when Kiba growled right back, "Look! I don't know what your problem is with Naruto, and I don't really **care.** I'm going!" Like **hell** he was going to sit around while his friend was out there, on his birthday, **alone**.

Being part of the upbringing and training of Nin-dogs (and having spent a third of his life around people like Hinata and Shino) had made Kiba the master of reading body language. Between that knowledge, and his and Akamaru's animal instincts, Naruto's misery was **painfully** obvious. And with their acute ears, **not** hearing the insults the villagers hurled at the blonde was an impossibility.

So, let the village and his mother all go celebrate the festival of the day the fox was killed tonight, **he** was going to go spend his friend's birthday with him, dammit! He wasn't about to let the stupid villagers' prejudice against Naruto, just because he was born on the day Konoha had been destroyed, ruin a friendship with someone he'd shared blood, sweat, tears, and **birthdays** with. To hell with them all!

"Kiba!"

He snarled and showed some fang. He was a shinobi, not an errant pup to be sent away with a sharp word. He was full grown and **well** beyond the age of majority for all Ninja. So he decided to throttle back his temper and speak like a mature individual (and not give in to the immature screaming deep inside that was **begging** to be let out). He took a breath, lowered his upper lip to hide his fangs, and stared at his mother with complete disregard, channeling his Inner Shino, "This is not a discussion that I'm having with you, and it's not me asking for your permission. This is me, Kiba Inuzuka, **Jounin** of Konohagakure, being kind enough to **tell you** about the plans I have for my evening. If those aren't your plans, then I'm afraid we won't be spending any time together, **mother** , because mine are **non-negotiable**."

She glared at him, "Go to your room."

Kiba stared her down for a second, then complied with a nod, rolling his eyes as soon as he turned around.

_Honestly, I'm a ninja! She really thinks sending me to my room is going to keep me home? She's obviously become too used to me being obedient lately._

Not that there'd been any reason to have much fun without Naruto. The two of them had always had fun or played pranks together, but the blonde had been too depressed in the last year or so for their shenanigans to continue. Then he grinned.

 _But then, that's what I'm going to help fix tonight_.

Ten minutes later, Kiba and Akamaru landed on the other side of the wall of the Inuzuka compound. A simple favor asked, and Ookamihime had pretended to have sprained a paw, drawing Tsume away, and they were gone. He smirked as he and Akamaru ran through the streets.

_I have to remember to repay her with a nice T-bone steak when we get back._

He was free and clear now: his mother might try and whip him into shape behind closed doors, but she'd never submit herself to the embarrassment of chasing her pup through the streets just to publicly drag him back by the scruff of his neck.

Kiba couldn't hold back a laugh, practically frolicking through the streets as if in a field of flowers now.

_Just you wait, Naruto, I'm going to throw you the best birthday ever._

* * *

She sighed. If anyone could recognize mental trauma, it was her. There was just no hiding the dangerous precipice Naruto stood at when they locked eyes for even a moment. And... there was something scary about it all, worrying. His overly cheerful face- **mask** , she corrected herself wearily- flashed through her mind, causing millions upon millions of anxious thoughts to skip through her head. Even now, she was on edge, couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Ino looked up from her contemplation of the only other blue-eyed blonde shinobi her age in Konoha at the knock on the door. She opened it and scowled, leaning expectantly on the door frame, "What do **you** want, dog-boy?"

Kiba scowled right back, "You not to be a bitch? Oh, sorry, I know I shouldn't ask people for the impossible."

After a tense minute of silence, smiles broke out on both their faces and the platinum blond shook her head, "What did you need, Kiba?"

"I'm throwing a party for Naruto, are you coming or not?"

"Of course I am! I already have the birthday bouquet prepared."

His nose scrunched, "You're giving the village's shinobi savior a bunch of **flowers** for his birthday?"

"Shut up. These are Naruto's favorite."

"He has a favorite flower?"

Blue eyes rolled, "Men."

* * *

The trio looked towards the door when the bell rang, Sakura seeming thankful for the interruption, and went to answer it. She barely turned the knob when someone burst through the door, zeroing in on Naruto, "Happy Birthday, man!"

All three of them blinked, the blonde asking the first thing that popped into his mind, "Um, how did you figure out where I was?"

Kiba blinked right back and calmly pointed a finger down towards the giant white dog at his hip, "Dude, I have the nose and hearing of a canine, and a loyal Ninja Dog that was **bred** for enhanced senses and strength. How could I **not** figure out where you were?" The teasing tone left and Kiba scrutinized him, "How are you, though? From what Akamaru and I scented, you lost **buckets** of blood, man."

Naruto blanched further, he'd completely forgotten about Kiba's insanely sharp senses. _Crap! Does he know what happened with those ninja?_

"Oh, really? Well, I'm just fine!" a plastic smile formed on Naruto's face, "You know me, always getting into trouble. Hell, you've been my partner in crime for as long as I can remember, so you know better than anyone how it is. 'S nothing to worry about, Kiba." Another forced grin and Sasuke practically growled at him. How had Naruto become such a good actor? If Sasuke hadn't known better, he'd have believed him. But he could see straight through Naruto's stupid mask, it was easy as breathing now.

"It's **not** fine, you damn idiot! **You're** not fine! And you're so fucking lucky that you're still not even close to being at one hundred percent, otherwise I'd..." the raven trailed off, not even certain about what he was just about to confess to. Honestly, there were two different scenarios swimming through his head. One involving violence, and the other something self-forbidden that he shut down the second it slipped into his mind. It made his heart accelerate dramatically from just thinking of it.

 _Oh hell no! I didn't picture that..._ _Denied. Denied. Denied!_

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was how Sasuke Uchiha nearly launched himself into a heart-attack upon Sakura's carpet, courtesy of Naruto's influence. The poor clueless bastard.

Their singled out spectator quirked an eyebrow, he was getting curios at an alarmingly fast rate. Then Kiba smirked knowingly, eyes flicking to Naruto and then back to Sasuke, his red fang tattoos stretching with the motion. He dared to ask, despite knowing that **someone** might just combust if the subject was brought up again, "Does anyone want to explain what the hell he's talking about? How 'bout you, Sakura? I'm sure you know."

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared, "Just- you know what? No. I refuse! I wasn't even there, Kiba." Sakura gestured to her teammates vehemently, "Ask Sasuke-kun, he was with Naruto!"

The Inuzuka rolled his eyes and turned to Sasuke expectantly, "Well?"


	3. In Which Ino Terrifies People and Gaara Has Connections

"Argh! Men!" Ino huffed as she walked down the street. "Go set everything up, Ino!" she mocked her friend's instructions. "Do some picking up -because _**no**_ single male keeps his place clean- hang streamers, invite everyone else that bone-head didn't think to, and just prepare an entire surprise party. Yeah, that's equality of work."

Her hands tightened around the bags she carried, "Damn you, Inuzuka Kiba!"

It was just dusk and the alleys and thoroughfair were still dark as people and merchants set up their shops and booths for the night-time festival. Several gave her wary or confused glances, some even glaring at her; but all of them turned away when they caught sight of the Hitai-ate around her waist. It wasn't wise to anger Shinobi.

Ninja had always been an intricate part of the village, but most of the time the villagers took them for granted, not consciously asking where the money came from so long as they had it. Shinobi could walk through the village like ordinary people, unnoticed but for a soft greeting and occasional nods or bows of respect. That had all changed during the attack on the village and the Fourth Great Shinobi War. The villagers had gotten an up-close and personal look at just what their protectors could do, and it hadn't sat easy with a lot of them.

Which brought her right back to the main reason she was out now. _Poor Naruto. It's no wonder the villagers are cruel to him, but that still doesn't make it right._ And it was sad how even other Ninja had fallen to picking on him, whether from fear of his abilities like the villagers, or jealousy of his superior power. Enemies to other nations' shinobi, isolated in their own village, all shinobi had to count on were their own; even Sasuke had realized that and returned. Naruto didn't even have that.

Her anger deflated and she sighed, entering the Hyuuga compound, and being spotted immediately, "What can I do for you, Yamanaka-san?"

"I'd like to speak to Hinata, please."

The servant bowed, "Right away, Yamanaka-san, please wait here a moment."

Ino wondered if she should be insulted for being asked to wait on the step instead of being invited inside to a parlor, but reasoned that most people were getting ready to attend the festival and likely wouldn't invite people less they be delayed. She was brought out of her thoughts as Hinata came out and closed the door behind her, "Hello, Ino."

Hinata had changed a lot over the years. Not just in looks, such as letting her hair grow and her mature face having lost its baby-roundness, or the loss of her once-prominent stuttering; but in bearing. She was no longer the terrified little mouse she'd been as a child. While infinitely calm and still quiet, she had a regal air about her, a silent self-confidence that had been Naruto's doing. As a friend, it was to Ino that Hinata had come, crying, when Naruto gently told her that he loved her, but not like a lover. While Ino believed it was the right thing to do (ignoring Hinata's declaration during the attack on the village would have been unforgivable), it had never affected the deep and abiding affection the Hyuuga heiress felt for the village outcast. If anything, it had made her stronger; given her a determination to make Naruto proud of her, and the shinobi she'd turned into was something to behold.

Hinata truly cared about Naruto, and even if he never loved her back, even if he fell in love with someone else, she'd be there for him if he ever needed her. In a way, Ino envied that: being able to love so truely and completely that all you want is the other person's happiness. She'd never felt that way; her crush on Sasuke had been a selfish thing, wanting him just so she could claim he was hers, that no one else could have him, and it had nearly cost her her best friend. And it was proof that she hadn't really loved him when she could say, with complete honesty, that she wouldn't trade her friendship with Sakura for a relationship with Sasuke.

"Hi, Hinata. Kiba and I are throwing a birthday party for Naruto, so I came to invite you."

The dark haired young woman gave a smile that lit up her whole face, "Of course, I'd love to."

Ino smirked and leaned forward, twining her fingers together and resting her head upon them, "I was hoping you'd say that."

Hinata shifted in place, "I-Ino-san?"

 _Aha! There's some of the old Hinata inside her yet!_ "You see, I still have to go to Naruto's and get everything ready, sooo... I was hoping I could draft you into doing the rest of the inviting. You probably know who'd want to come better than I would, anyway."

Her cheeks turned a rosy pink, "I, um, I'd be glad to help set up Naruto-kun's party."

"Good! Then you go get the people, and I'll go set up the stuff. If I know Kiba, it'll take him at least an hour to find and drag Naruto back. So let's meet up at Naruto's place in... let's say forty-five minutes. Think that'll be enough time?"

And there was the mature, self-assured Hinata; in the straightening of her posture and the calm, confident almost-smirk on her lips, "We aren't Jounin for nothing, Ino-chan."

Ino smiled back, "That's what I like to hear," and with a nod, the once-shy Hyuuga heiress Shunshined off into the night. Ino had a smile on her face all the rest of the remaining way to Naruto's. Thoughts about her friends and the party faded to the back of her mind as she ascended the stairs to Naruto's apartment and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled.

Shinobi unconciously walked softer than average people, but Ino took extra care to make sure her steps were silent, being careful not to land on a creaky stair lest she give herself away. She snuck to the end of the hall and set her things down so they wouldn't become a hindrance, and crept back to the slightly ajar door, her back to the wall as she listened for anything.

She needn't have taken the precaution, whoever was inside was making no real attempt (or at least not a valid enough attempt for breaking into a Ninja's home) to be quiet, "This will teach that little bastard. Over there, don't miss anything."

 _At least two._ She listened to the footsteps. No, three. Ino's hand moved down to her pouch and pulled out a kunai. One, two... three! "Hold it right there!" It wasn't a traditional shinobi entrance, but she was going for shock and awe of what she assumed were over-arrogant villagers, not an assassination attempt on a foreign target. She easily dodged the set of three shuriken that flew at her, thudding into the wood on the other side of the hall.

She went into a crouch, about to throw her weapon, when a voice sputtered, "Y-Yamanaka Ino-san?!"

Ino assessed the danger (not high) before standing from her position to glare at the Shinobi. A Chuunin, older than her, who'd lacked either the ambition or ability to rise higher. His rank was evident as he damn near fainted with fright when the blonde went into a rage.

"Just _**what**_ do you think you're doing in this apartment?! Trespassing, breaking and entering, vandalism; I could have you demoted, you scum-sucking, sorry excuse for a Shinobi!" she rounded on the two others, mere villagers, huddled in a corner, "And _**you**_ , I could have you imprisoned for crimes against Shinobi! How _**dare**_ you?! How dare any of you?" she glared at the pathetically trembling villagers. "Leave, now, and if you _**ever**_ come back here..." she left the threat unfinished, but they more than got the message and fled with as much speed as they could, leaving the tattered scraps of their dignity on the floor behind them. Ino caught movement out of the corner of her eye and rounded back on the Chuunin, "Not you. _**You**_ I want to have a word with."

He shivered, "Yamaka-san-"

" _ **Silence**_." She walked over and grabbed him by the front of his flak jacket, pulling him close to her (unaware she was still clutching the kunai tightly in her other hand), "How _**dare**_ you put the skills taught to you in service of the village to use like this?"

"This _**is**_ for the village! That monster-"

"That 'monster' saved your pathetic life, saved the lives of your brother, your wife, and your two little daughters."

His eyes widened, "H-how did you...?"

"Look into my eyes, you moron; who do you think you're dealing with? I can't do anything to the villagers; they'll need to be handled through the Council, but you? Breaking the law in my presence, attacking me; a fellow shinobi and your superior? I could do just about anything I want to you before turning you over to Ibiki, even if it leaves you little more than an empty, drooling shell." He started shaking, and Ino pulled him closer so there was almost no space left between them, their noses less than an inch apart, "Naruto is my friend, and if you _ **ever**_ desecrate any of my friend's belongings again; if you even _**think**_ about it -and I _**will**_ know if you think about it- by the time I'm through with you, you'll spend the rest of your life believing with everything in you that you're a six year-old girl with a fondness for ribbons. Is that in any way unclear?"

"N-n-n-no, Sempai."

She shoved him away, sneering like she'd smelt something horrible, "Get out of my sight, scum."

He scrambled for the door, racing out and fumbling it closed behind him. Ino waited until his steps faded before letting her breath out all at once, taking in the destruction surrounding her. It looked like no fewer than four tornados had torn through the room, scattering belongings and overturning furniture with no rhyme or reason. Papers were scattered about, the coffee table was on its side, the green couch was upside-down; the trashcan had been upended and the garbage scattered about with shreds of the bag standing out like ravaged cloth on a battlefield.

With a heavy, heartfelt sigh, Ino retreated through the mess into the little kitchenette, fishing out a few new trash bags, and started to clean. She went back into the living room and foot-swept most of the stuff to one side so she could right the coffee table, placing the bag on top of it when she was done. Recalling the timeframe she'd given Hinata, Ino wondered if she'd be able get it all done in time. She didn't even know what Naruto's bedroom looked like, or if they'd gotten that far, but if the living room was any indication...

The sound of the door opening put her on high alert and she reacted without thought. Shikamaru bent over backwards and her kunai joined the trio of shuriken out in the hallway, "Whoa! What the hell, Ino?!"

"Shikamaru?" her stance slackened considerably, "What are you doing here?"

"Hinata asked me to come. My mother was trying to get me to go to the festival so I thought I'd come over early since it'd be less troublesome. Your turn: what happened in here?"

"A few village assholes, I already took care of them. You're actually right on time for once, you lazy bastard; grab a bag and help me clean. I still have to set everything up."

Shikamaru groaned but did as he was told. He'd learned over the course of the seven years he'd officially been her partner (and all the times their parents had stuck them together as kids) that it was easier just to go along with her instead of arguing. Besides, it was for Naruto, and it was his birthday; this was the last thing he needed to see. It was bad enough there were people celebrating his parents' death and his father's cursing him to spend the rest of his life as a demon vessel, ignorant bigots trashing his apartment wasn't about to help things at all. (Which he'd known since he'd figured out what Naruto was going through when he was thirteen.) He'd been quietly, unassumingly, inviting the blonde out for a meal as Ichiraku's for years. He'd have done so this year as well if he hadn't been out on a(n unwilling) mission all day.

He'd just got back home to rest (or try to with his mother bothering both him and his father), and already he was put to work again (the fact it was for a worthy cause notwithstanding).

"So troublesome..."

"Yeah, yeah. I know it's going to make you cease function to bend over and exert yourself, but... do it for Naruto."

He couldn't argue with that, obviously. Letting out a deep, withering sigh, he gestured to the overturned couch and Ino gave a nod before trotting over. They flopped the piece of furniture back onto its legs with surprising ease.

"Naruto should get this thing nailed to the floor," Shikamaru remarked.

Ino shook her head and smothered the laugh about to escape, "Maybe you should tell him that when you see him."

"I might," the pineapple-headed ninja sighed once again, the hint of a grin disappearing as swiftly as it came. "That idiot needs to laugh more."

A wistful smile was his only answer.

* * *

_(Note: This takes place_ _**before** _ _Naruto's birthday to allow them time to get to Konoha.)_

"I'm going, and that's the end of it." Gaara shifted the gourd strapped onto his back. Although he was unnerved that the woman across from him hadn't budged, he wasn't willing to show as much on his face.

She laughed mirthlessly, crossing her arms over her chest, "Right, of _**course**_ you are! What are we supposed to do while your gone, Gaara?" Temari argued.

No _**way**_ was she letting her little brother cross the desert by himself! Did he have memory loss or something? Because she clearly remembered not seeing him for three weeks the last time he tried to pull this on her, as well as mountains of paperwork meant for the Kazekage to deal with that **_she_** was forced to file through. Despite that... she shook her head resolutely: No. Absolutely not, this was not happening agai-

"You can come with me, you know. We'll make Kankuro take care of the paperwork and whatever trouble arises during our leave."

"Thank you, Ototou. We'll set out after dinner, before he suspects anything."

Albeit a little embarrassed that she gave in so easily, Temari really couldn't help herself. The opportunity to see Shikamaru again was practically being served to her on a silver platter that screamed, "It's been **_years_**! Hurry your ass over to Konoha before some cheap hussy snags your man!"

"Why are you telling me this? Is someone going to steal Ne- oh, um, never mind, " Gaara looked anywhere but at his sister, a pink blush dusting his cheeks while he internally cursed himself for almost blurting such information.

Temari didn't even notice her brother's slip-up as she realized with great horror that she'd spoken her thoughts aloud, "I was just... I just- dammit!"

"No, really, it's fine. It's forgotten."

Apparently, Gaara was just as flustered as she was, though he hid it much better. Temari supposed it was all thanks to years of practice during his childhood. The thought somewhat dampened her excitement, but she forced a smile to bloom on her face.

"So..." Temari started awkwardly, rocking back on her heels. "Run it by me one more time: why **_exactly_** are we going to Konoha?"

Gaara stared at the floor with a furrowed brow (Skin? He didn't exactly have any eyebrows to scrunch together), hand cupping his chin as if in thought, and began pacing. His sister watched with growing irritation.

In admirable seriousness he finally announced, "My Naruto-senses are tingling."

Temari blinked, every ounce of tension draining out of her, "Are you joking, or...?"

"I both am and am not, actually."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I got invited to a birthday party, but I also feel like something's wrong."

"A... birthday party," she deadpanned.

Gaara brought his fingers to his lips, mumbling just loud enough for Temari to hear, "Well, I suppose I wasn't ** _invited_** **,** per se. But it **_is_** going to be Naruto's birthday soon."

"Let me see if I understand: we're ditching Suna for a few weeks based on your newfound, telepathic connection to Naruto... and this is assuming they even **_want_** us there."

"You nailed it."

"I was hoping I hadn't."

Just then, Kankuro poked his head through the door, "What're we doin' for dinner, guys?"

Temari and Gaara exchanged cautious looks, making Kankuro raise his eyebrows and shrink out the door slightly, "Am I missing something?"

"No," Gaara answered automatically. "Make whatever's convenient. Temari can't cook to save her life."

The girl growled, letting out an indignant, "Hey!"

"The truth is undeniable," Kankuro agreed, eyes widening when his sister turned to him with an expression that promised murder. He put his hands up in mock-surrender, drawling out as if he couldn't care less, "Alright, alright! I'm sorry, sis. You're wonderful, Gaara's just Gaara, I'm making something non-toxic, and we're all happy as pigs in mud."

"Kankuro, I think I finally understand how your mind works: you seek death," Gaara voiced his epiphany.

Temari gnashed her teeth together violently and, eventually, a light-blub went off in the puppet master's head. Gaara couldn't contain his sadistic smirk once the painted face disappeared into the hallway.

"He's so oblivious this is going to be like taking candy from a baby."

"Hey, Gaara?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't ever say that again. At least not with that, uh... face." Gaara looked as lost as he felt and Temari sighed as if it took great effort for her to explain such things, "Honestly, it looks like you're going to rape someone, or maybe kidnap that baby."

"...I'm sorry?"

"It's okay, Otouto. It's okay."

* * *

For a few awkward seconds, not a single person in the room moved, still soaking in everything Sasuke had relayed to them.

"I'm going to ask you one more time: Are you okay?"

"Kiba," Naruto glared far more defensively than what was called for. "I told you, I'm ** _fine._** "

Sasuke resisted grabbing his friend and shaking him by the shoulders, screaming that, no, he was not 'okay', and he wasn't even before this happened. Sakura seemed to agree, judging by how tightly clenched the fists at her sides were.

"Fine, I admit, that was a stupid question," Kiba looked away and squatted down with a smile, hands flying through Akamaru's white fur at the neck. His expression morphed into a stony seriousness faster than any of them could blink, eyes snapping back to the blonde, "I've got a better one, and it's something Sasuke failed to mention: what the hell did those bastards write on your arm?"


	4. In Which Hinata Plots and Neji Has an Obvious Crush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely hope this chapter is somewhat satisfactory for my ONE YEAR LEAVE. Jesus, I almost had a heart attack when I noticed that it'd been that long since I'd done anything with this fic. Not that it's an excuse to fall behind, but I've been writing something for One Piece (another ZoLu that I've promised myself I won't even post the first chapter to until it's completely FINISHED this time). But it's here now, so... that's good, right? Yeah, I'm awful - feel free to stab me any time. I hope you enjoy this chapter if you're still interested, though!

* * *

 

"We'll definitely be coming, Hinata!" Iruka called from the doorway, elbowing the taller male beside him with a stern glare that held every intention of coaxing a decent goodbye out of the man.

Kakashi rolled his eye and muttered some snide comment, leaning against his lover nonchalantly. Hinata could only wonder about the specifics of said jibe as Iruka positively sizzled with fury and dragged the silver-haired man back into the house. "On second thought, we might be a little late."

The girl shook her head dismissively, letting out a quick huff of air to blow away a wayward strand of midnight blue hair. Almost as an afterthought, she told them, "That's fine, as long as you're com-"

Hinata found that that was all she could manage to say before the door slammed shut with a great bang and a shout of: "Bastard! Don't you  ** _dare_**!"

She turned her back to the house, amused, but suddenly more fatigued than a moment before. Hinata's eyelids draped down over her pale eyes and she drew in a tired, ragged breath, smile gone as she exhaled. Thankfully, that had been her last stop of the night - aside from her own house, to freshen up - which meant the "mission" to invite everyone she deemed a friend to Naruto's surprise party had been completed. At least, she hoped it was, otherwise Hinata might just smack herself upside the head for forgetting any obvious guests. Nonetheless, she was already heading back to the Hyuuga household.

She'd only invited a grand total of ten people (it would've been eleven, but she couldn't manage to find Shikamaru anywhere): Chouji, who asked her if there would be food, although that had been the response she was expecting. Sai, who smiled a truly horrendous fake smile (why, oh why did he still smile like that when Naruto had taught him how to do so without scaring anyone who happened to see it?) and sent shivers up her spine by proclaiming, " ** _Anything_**  for Naruto." Hinata still didn't know if she could bear to find out just  ** _what_**  he could have possibly meant by that, nor had the imagination to dredge up such things.

Lee and Guy had been especially hard to get away from once they somehow managed to launch into a detailed explanation about how birthdays didn't dampen one's "youth," only made that person determined to do more while they still had it. To be honest, the whole speech had gone in one ear and out the other, or perhaps over her head entirely was more accurate, but they needn't know that. TenTen stopped the two martial artists, having listened to it all numerous times, and calmly told her that they would be coming. Kakashi and Iruka, to her great relief, had accepted in a heartbeat. Yamato's reaction was the same when she'd asked him. She had then busied herself with the task of informing Tsunade, assuming she would want the knowledge of it even if it was probable that the Hokage couldn't squeeze any last-minute partying into her schedule. Still, that had never stopped the woman from drinking, so Hinata kept her fingers crossed.

Shino's response was - in a word - hilarious. There had been a few seconds of awkward staring, during which Hinata couldn't see his eyes beyond the glasses, which was irrelevant since she had grown accustomed to his seemingly blank-face after so many missions together. Her teammate had looked around, undoubtedly confused, before inquiring if Hinata was indeed talking to  ** _him._** She'd almost laughed in his face when he said, almost like he was pouting: "I'd just gotten used to being left out, can't you people make up your minds?" In the end, Shino accepted the invitation and promised to make an appearance like Hinata knew he would.

As she came out of her scattered thoughts, the Hyuuga was a little shocked to find that she'd already arrived back home. But she was downright bewildered when a voice shouted in her ear, this being evident in the way she spun around and attempted (almost succeeded) to hit them with a few gentle-fist jabs.

"Whoa!"

"Neji-niisan?" Hinata squinted, as if she couldn't comprehend that her cousin was standing before her. "Did you need something?"

"Yes, actually," Neji glanced behind him, though nothing was there. "Two more potential guests have just arrived in Konoha."

Hinata blinked. "Who?"

If she hadn't known better, Hinata could have sworn she saw Neji blush.

"Temari and… Gaara."

Hinata narrowed her eyes, now curious, but decided to give no comment on Neji's slight hesitation. "Kankuro isn't with them?"

"Not when they came through the gate, and I don't know if he'll be coming later."

She paused at that, biting a lip and looking down for a brief moment in contemplation before her gaze traveled back to her cousin again. "We'll have to assume he's not… but why didn't you just tell Gaara and Temari yourself when you saw them?"

A mysterious pink painted Neji's cheeks - she was sure of it this time. The flushed quality to his face was glaringly obvious compared to the borderline ghostly pale skin elsewhere.

Neji coughed into his fist, trying to find the right words for it. "Would you believe me if I told you I got nervous?"

"Not really. I suppose I've never seen you blush, either, but here we are."

"That's not funny, Hinata-sama," he glared, the pink morphing into a deeper shade of red as if to make his cousin's point more valid.

Hinata refrained from bursting into hysterical laughter at his increasing embarrassment. "Really? I'm finding it to be quite hilarious."

"Yes,  _ **really**_!" Neji seethed. "And it's not as big a deal as you're making it out to be."

"Oh, I see. I apologize." Hinata smiled in a way that told Neji he should run like hell. "If that's the case, you certainly wouldn't mind relaying the invitation to them. I've already gone around and told all the others, so… no big deal, right, Neji-nii?"

He clenched his teeth, smiling back plastically like it was rather painful. "Of course not."

"Wonderful!" Her lips curled further. "You can escort them to Naruto's apartment as well."

Neji gawked at her, wondering where the timid Hinata had gone, but finally smothered his indignation and took a few deep breaths before walking off as calmly as he could. He gradually picked up speed, realizing he might not catch Gaara or Temari if he kept dragging his feet, and the words  _you are the spawn of Satan_  just barely remained trapped in his thoughts.

* * *

"Holy shit, man. Naruto, that's..." Kiba trailed off, unable to look away from his friend's new scar. Naruto pulled his arm to his chest again, sick of the worried, angry looks Sasuke kept giving it.

"You know what?" Naruto snapped at him. "Just wrap the thing up if you're going to stare at it like it's going to come alive and eat us all."

"Well maybe this wouldn't have happened if everyone in this village, including you-" Sasuke gestured to Kiba "-wasn't selectively deaf as well as blind."

"Selectively blind and- are you sassing me, Uchiha?" Kiba growled.

"Maybe, Inuzuka."

Sakura continued to look thoroughly annoyed while simultaneously looking bored to tears of their antics, and Naruto really couldn't blame her. He was so very tempted to slap the both of them; Kiba, for treating this so goddamn seriously, and Sasuke, for his seemingly infinite reserves of assholery no matter the conversation.

"I just realized we don't even know why you're here, Kiba," Sakura finally intervened.

The dog-lover blinked at her. "You know... I'm not too sure I remember, either."

Sasuke snorted. "Forget it, then - oh, wait, you already did." He turned to Sakura and inclined his head. "I'll take some of that gauze now, before I can get any angrier about that stupid fucking word."

Sakura sighed and tossed him the roll of gauze, meanwhile Naruto just wanted to sleep this whole thing off. And he might've, too, if Sasuke hadn't just crouched down right beside him, grasping lightly at his arm as he wound the white material around it.  _Why,_ Naruto asked himself miserably, watching Sasuke's nimble fingers,  _why do I have to love_ _ **you**_ _?_

"Oh!" Kiba suddenly yelled, making Naruto jump and whack Sasuke in the chin.

"Shit, sorry!" Naruto yelped, reaching out and grabbing the Uchiha's chin without thinking.

"It's fine. It didn't even hurt," Sasuke mumbled, trying not to shiver at the feeling of Naruto's hands. "Idiot."

Kiba blinked at them, then at Sakura, who noticed his obvious confusion with the way their two friends seemed to be "lost in each other's eyes", for lack of a better description. She shrugged, but smiled nonetheless as Naruto made a weird, discomforted noise and dropped his hands from Sasuke's face.

"Okay..." Kiba started slowly, still a bit surprised by how he'd never noticed the way the two acted around one another, "I just remembered why I'm here."

"To be annoying?"

"No, now shut it, Uchiha." He rolled his eyes. "I've gotta drag you three to Naruto's place."

"Why?" Naruto immediately asked, a little too quickly. "Um, I mean..." he corrected as he shied away from their questioning gazes, "do we really have to go?"

 _It's probably already been trashed this year,_ he thought despairingly, wondering how much he'd have to clean up, how Sasuke and the others would react to  ** _that_** _,_ and-  _no, no, no, they don't need to see Part II of Naruto's Birthday From Hell._

Kiba nervously scratched the back of his neck as he explained, "Um, about that... Ino's already there - she sent me, actually - and I'm pretty sure she'll kill me if I show up without you."

Naruto bristled at this information for two reasons: one, Ino had most likely witnessed and/or seen the aftermath of whatever the villagers had decided to do to his apartment; two, he couldn't say no, not when it seemed like he'd be hunted down and taken hostage by a very angry Ino if he did.

He groaned, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. "Fine, goddamn you."

Sasuke smirked and crossed his arms. "Then get up, and let's go find out what you just agreed to."

"So demanding," Naruto huffed. He obeyed, though, and stood up. It could've been that he'd gotten to his feet quicker than he'd intended, or maybe it was the excessive blood-loss finally catching up to him, but whatever the reason, Naruto's vision swam and his legs buckled. He felt himself blackout for a few seconds, blinked, and suddenly Sasuke had an arm around his waist.

"Loser."

Naruto's cheeks exploded with color. "Oh shut up!"

* * *

"Welcome to Konoha, Kazekage-sama. We're... we're throwing a birthday party for Naruto," Neji coughed, cheeks pink as he pointedly looked anywhere but at the redheaded Kage and his sister. He was kind of put-off by how odd the two sentences sounded together, one so official and the other so casual.

The blonde quirked an eyebrow. "Was that supposed to be an invitation?" Because if it was, it  _thoroughly_  sucked, and she'd lived with Gaara her entire life. It took a special kind of person to fumble a social interaction worse than her brother used to before becoming Kazekage.

Then Temari caught sight of the blush and held back a smirk. Flirting was a shinobi skill much under-appreciated by the general public - which was probably for the best in the end, let them all think shinobi excelled in striking from the shadows and leaving bloody carnage behind. It just made the skill that much more valuable.

Flirting was something every kunoichi had been trained in, and half the boys, too. But more than a valuable skill in her arsenal, flirting was  _fun_. The blonde had never been as keen on blood as her siblings had, but she took great pleasure in her abilities, and this, like ninjutsu, was one she excelled at. Flirting was a constantly shifting game with new players every time, and each game sent a thrill through her veins. And after putting up with Kankuro before they'd left and endless days spent with Mr. Congeniality, she needed a bit of fun.

There were several approaches available depending on the target. Civilian men usually preferred meek, flirty, bashful girls, or the seductive, knowledgeable, experienced women. Temari could play both those roles and many others, but neither of them would appeal to fellow shinobi. The reason so few civilian woman interested virile ninja was due to one key factor: shinobi thrived on  _danger._  Ninja didn't notice civilians because they just  _didn't matter_ , one had to be dangerous or advantageous to catch their attention. Luckily, Temari knew exactly how to play to both of those goals.

She held her hands behind her back in a way that raised her breasts, leaned forward into the brunet's space, and smirked, wild and taunting as she said, "You look like fun to play with." She had no actual interest in him, but she didn't have to: the Game was fun enough on it's own and Temari was an expert player.

But when the brunet turned back to her, it was with silver eyes gone frosty in disinterest. "I highly doubt we've the same game in mind." His tone was so frigidly polite it was downright rude.

Temari frowned - hell, she nearly gaped at him. Sure, she'd gotten abrupt changes of mind and brush-offs before, but the sheer  _unfeeling_  there didn't just happen. She  _knew_  her own skills at this game: someone had gone and flipped the rules on her. Her eyes narrowed as he blatantly turned away from her, her stung pride making her temper and words short, "Gee, thanks so much... asshole." It took effort not to snort at him when he cast a scathing glance at her for her language. Her eyebrow twitched. Well,  _that_  had not been the bit of fun and tension-relief she'd been looking for.

Actually, maybe her brothers were on to something. A sound bloody rampage was starting to look pretty good after all. If he wasn't interested in her flirting skills, maybe he'd be more concerned about her ninjutsu ones.

"Naruto's birthday?" Gaara said. Temari huffed and crossed her arms. To think, she was the one holding to her temper while  _Gaara_  soothed the situation and got the conversation back on track. "You said something about a party."

Neji's pale eyes met her brother's and Temari watched curiously as the red-tinge bled back into his cheeks. The answer struck like a lightning storm and it took a lot of effort to keep her jaw from unhinging. Here she'd been thinking Neji was  ** _her_  **opponent, and he'd had his eyes on a different player entirely.

_Holy shit, that's priceless; he's gay for my little brother._

She felt her anger change to the annoying itch of embarrassment, and was even more thankful they'd left Kankuro home so he wasn't around to see - and more importantly,  _ **comment**  _\- on how completely she'd misread the situation and embarrassed herself.

"Y-yeah, I was sent by Hinata to escort you to Naruto's apartment."

"Oh, well, thank you," Gaara said politely. "We were going to visit either way, but the invitation is a nice sentiment."

Temari held back the urge to slap her hand over her eyes. Gaara had  _not_  been among the male population that had been trained in flirting and seduction. Her little brother wouldn't know courtship unless someone gave him a lap dance.

"His Naruto-senses were tingling, and now Suna is being temporarily run by an idiot who still plays with dolls," Temari felt the need to add, feeling significantly less hostile and confrontational now that she knew that their escort hadn't been snubbing her personally. And she never missed a chance to complain about Kankuro.

"...Is it still going to be standing and not razed to the ground when you get back?"

"Good question," the blonde muttered.

Gaara shrugged. "We assume so, but I've learned not to expect too much from Kankuro."

"Why?" Neji cocked his head to the side, which Gaara definitely did not find so adorable he had to bit his lip to stop himself from cooing - him, the stone-cold Kazekage, from nearly  _ **cooing**_ like a dumb as shit pigeon.

"You'd understand," he said instead, "if you found him ballroom dancing with his puppet, scared the crap out of him and, one twitch of a finger later, he'd impaled himself with poison-dipped kunai and was practically foaming at the mouth on the floor."

The monotonous tone with which he described it almost made Neji laugh. Almost, but not quite. "Oh."

"Yeah: oh."

Temari sighed, although she was more than just a little surprised at how talkative Gaara was being. Was it possible that, oblivious as he was, her little brother was actually interested  _back_  in the Leaf-Nin?  _Will wonders never cease?_  "Can we just go before I decide we need to revisit the miles of sand outside Suna?"

Gaara wrinkled his nose, not having taken his eyes off Neji the entire time. "Of course. Lead the way, Hyuuga."

"Y-you can just call me Neji, if you want."  _Good God,_  Neji thought as he stuttered once again,  _I'm turning into the younger version of Hinata-sama._

"Okay, Neji it is," and the redhead offered him the tiniest of smiles. "Call me Gaara."

* * *

Neji stood only a half-pace ahead of the Kazekage, the other shinobi having no issue following such a short lead for the comfort it gave conversation. Neji had always held a fascination for the other highly-skilled ninja, though that admiration had shifted slightly over time.

It had begun the at the Chuunin Preliminaries. That had been the first step to the emotional slide Neji had found himself on.

No one else had been able to truly appreciate the sheer, overwhelming strength Gaara showed. No one else was teammates and sparring partners with Rock Lee on a regular basis. Not even TenTen had been able to understand, trained almost exclusively in ninjutsu as she was. But Neji... Neji, like Lee, specialized, excelled in, worked night and day to master, taijutsu.

Neji who knew what it was to push his body to its very limits nearly every single day against a worthy opponent, felt the thrill in his blood sparring with an adversary who knew your own field and pushed you further in it. Neji who'd sparred for  _days_  with Lee, each pushing themselves better-faster-harder, speed and power versus strategy and precision.

Neji  _knew_  what it was like to fight against Lee, knew the power and determination his enthusiastic team mate held and threw around so easily. They wouldn't be nearly even in victories if he didn't know Lee's mind so well and was proficient enough in his Byakugan to foretell the green-loving shinobi's moves - and sometimes still not fast enough for it to even matter.

Neji  _knew_ , in a way their ninjutsu-specialist team mate didn't, the sheer power Lee wielded. And then to see Gaara push Lee to his very limits, then beyond them, to see him snuff out that well of strength... Yes, Gaara had caught his attention from the very first.

The fascination had not faded over time or distance. Hearing about Gaara's transformation after his own defeat at Naruto's hands, his mind newly opened to the concept of fighting his fate, his interest had only grown. Gaara had defied his own fate, how many times now? His own Kazekage, his own  _father_ , sentencing him to a life of murder and bloodshed, and, like most of those touched by the burning brightness that was Naruto's influence, he'd fought against it.

The previous demon-vessel was much like Naruto himself. The blond was like ten burning suns all at once: bright, hot, blinding. Gaara was easier to be around as a single sun, but just like the actual orb, he could burn you just as easily if you weren't careful. Neji, however, was  _ **always**  _careful.

* * *

"I've heard from Naruto that you believe in fate?"

Neji nodded. "I do. For... for a very long time, I believed that fate couldn't be changed. Now... I am fighting to change mine."

The redhead made an interested hum. "I've thought on such things a little, and come to a different theory."

"Please, share. I'm interested in your thoughts on the matter."

"Maybe fate can be fought against, even won against, and maybe not. But I've always wondered... how do you know it's fate until it's over?"

Neji Hyuuga, Jounin of Konohagakure, master of his Clan's Justu requiring grace, precision, and exact control over one's body, stumbled over his own feet in pure shock. Silvery eyes blinked and he stared at Gaara. "W-what?"

"How do you know what is or is not meant to be until it happens?"

Neji kept staring. "I suppose you simply... don't."

Gaara slowly turned his head and smirked slyly. "But that's the whole reason we  **take**  those chances, right? The thrill of not knowing, yet hoping for the greatest outcome?"

"Right again... Gaara." Neji's tongue tripped over the name as he said it, but the fact that he'd said it at all made the redhead's smirk turn into something more like a smile.

Temari openly gaped behind them, mouth an unwavering "O" all the way to Naruto's apartment (neither ninja would notice, of course, stuck in their own little world): what the fuck was going on? Deep conversations that made her rethink how the universe functioned... Gaara smiling like he was enraptured with another life form (so he  **did**  return the affections;  _someone pinch me_ )... and Neji, unabashedly giving her brother doe eyes, because apparently his boner-trigger was philosophical discussions about fate. Hopefully he didn't  _ **actually**  _have a boner, though. Temari shivered at the thought.

At least they were close to the apartment now.

"Disgusting excuses for shinobi!" Temari heard a villager shout from the side of the road they walked on, a distinct slur to his voice that hinted intoxication. "Now there're two demons in this village. How dare they come here on the anniversary of the attack!"

Temari narrowed her eyes but said nothing in retaliation; Gaara would do something if their words truly bothered him. That was, if he could hear them at all, or tear his eyes away from Neji's for more than two seconds.  _Get a room..._ she thought irritably.

Gaara and Neji had moved on from the heavy topics, but neither ninja's interest was the least bit deterred. They'd heard the shouts as well, and had come to an unspoken agreement to ignore the villagers' petty attempts to get a reaction out of them. Gaara wasn't sure that he cared what these idiot civilians thought of him anyway. He was more curious about Neji than anything else at the moment, and would more than likely bury anyone who tried to interrupt their conversation. Gaara internally snorted at himself and mused _, I suppose the homicidal tendencies aren't completely gone after all..._

"So how was your walk from Suna?" Neji asked, once again snatching up Gaara's attention.

The same drunk villager charged at Gaara from the side of the road, yelling, "DIE, DEMON SCUM!"

"It was hot," Gaara answered calmly, as though he hadn't just swatted his attacker away and into a convenient trash bin with a flick of his wrist. "Suna is always hot."

Neji frowned slightly, but otherwise pretended that he didn't notice. "You seem to handle the chill here in Konoha well, for all that you're not used to it."

"Murderer!"

"Bastard! You're the one that belongs in the trash!"

The two friends of the previous villager attempted to swing at Gaara, but made the mistake of coming in on Neji's side. They both received nonchalant gentle fists to the chest for their trouble, without so much as a glance their way while the jabs were delivered. Neji wrinkled his nose a bit, almost regretting stepping over the two villagers that were now sprawled on the road. He should've just trampled over them for good measure.

"Thank you," Gaara said in reply to Neji's earlier statement. When he smiled again, though, Neji got the feeling that Gaara's gratitude was for he'd just done.

"Of course."

Temari sweat-dropped as she watched, taking note of the peculiar softness to Gaara's eyes. She shook her head in exasperation. This  ** _would_  **be her little brother's idea of a date. And that meant she was the third wheel.

**Author's Note:**

> A special thanks dedicated to the lovely friend who bothered to beta this for me!


End file.
